GE Aerospace has appointed industry veteran Patrick de Castelbajac to the newly created role of chief strategy officer.
De Castelbajac’s appointment is effective from 24 June, and he will report to GE chief executive and chairman Lawrence Culp.
De Castelbajac is a veteran of the aerospace sector, having been the chief executive of ATR and more recently, with lessor Nordic Aviation Capital. He has also held executive positions in Airbus, where he was involved with the European airframer’s acquisition of Bombardier’s CSeries programme, rebranding it as the A220.
As strategy chief, de Castelbajac will lead its “enterprise strategic planning, working in partnership with GE Aerospace’s business and functional teams to support long-term growth by optimising capital deployment with strategic investments across the company”.
The appointment comes as GE announced plans to hire more than 900 engineers this year, both within the USA and in its global offices. Openings include roles in its RISE open-fan engine demonstrator, as well as in military engine programmes.
